Where People in Morristown Actually Eat

Every town has two food scenes: the one visible from the highway and the one people who live there actually use. Hamblen County's second scene is worth the detour.

Barbecue and country cooking East Tennessee barbecue sits between the vinegar of the Carolinas and the sweet tomato of Memphis, and the small smokehouses around Morristown mostly split the difference. Look for the places with a wood pile out back and a lunch line of work trucks.

The Mexican and Central American plates Morristown's Latino community has quietly given the city one of the better taqueria lineups in the region — birria, al pastor off a real trompo, and weekend menudo. Several of the best rooms are attached to grocery stores, which is exactly the sign you want.

Downtown lunch Main Street handles the sit-down lunch crowd: sandwiches, salads, a rotating soup, and a taproom or two for after. Downtown parking is free and you can walk the whole strip in ten minutes.

Lake and roadside Summer changes the pattern. Ice cream stands, walk-up burger windows and marina grills on Cherokee Lake carry the season, and half of them run limited hours once school starts.

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